Colposcopes are routinely employed by physicians to examine the vaginal area through a speculum. These instruments comprise a binocular microscope and an illuminating unit. As a result of the restricted field of view, it is necessary to keep the axes of the binocular microscope and the axis of the illumination means in close physical proximity. Physicians often desire to photograph the field of examination to thereby obtain a permanent record. Accordingly, special colposcopes are available but, unfortunately, these are usually too expensive for the average physician's office and are usually available only in clinics and hospitals. The reason for the additional expense is that separate optical systems are required for the camera and for the flash unit. This means that a total of five optical axes must converge upon the same field of view. The close tolerances and additional complexity thus introduced substantially increase the cost of such colposcopes.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a photographing colposcope of reduced cost, easily affordable by a physician for office use. Another object is to provide such a colposcope which does not require separate optical systems for either the camera or the flash unit. Another object is to provide such a colposcope which employs the optical systems of the microscope and the microscope illuminator for photographing purposes. Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.